Google's Nexus move? Retail outlets may be in storeGoogle has plans on the drawing board to sell self-branded hardware in retail outlets, much like Apple has successfully done, according to published reports that claim the company has not come to a final decision about how to proceed. One issue is whether Google would withhold Motorola Mobility phones from a store in order to appease other Android hardware makers. Google could sell its own Nexus phones and tablets, Android-powered entertainment systems and appliances as well as its Google TV set-top box, among other hardware. The Wall Street Journal
(2/18)

Making Work-Life Balance WorkFor startups or established enterprises, juggling the demands of work and the rest of your day means knowing what's important, setting boundaries and getting creative. Click here to read Boomtown: Think Like a Startup

Company News

Sprint quietly hits LTE switch in parts of NYC, D.C., S.F.Sprint Nextel expanded its Long-Term Evolution network to parts of a handful of major cities, including New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., as well as some Florida markets such as Jacksonville, Miami and Tampa, Sprint confirmed Monday. The new areas exclude the 58 LTE towns Sprint previously confirmed as receiving LTE service but said it delayed announcing the new deployments until service became more uniform and reliable in those markets. The Verge
(2/18)

Gates talks cellphones, Microsoft performanceMicrosoft founder and Chairman Bill Gates admitted disappointment with his company's performance in several areas, notably mobile devices. "There's a lot of things like cellphones where we didn't get out in the lead very early. ... We didn't miss cellphones, but the way we went about it didn't allow us to get the leadership. It's clearly a mistake," Gates said in an interview on "CBS This Morning." But Gates backed CEO Steve Ballmer's performance, terming some of his achievements "amazing." One bright spot: An analyst's survey of corporate chief information officers found plenty of support for Microsoft products. Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model)/Tech Now blog
(2/18), ReadWrite
(2/18)

Considerations for VoLTE ImplementationsVoLTE is a critical tool for service providers to improve voice performance and capacity while reducing cost. F5 plays a key role in VoLTE—bringing signaling delivery, policy enforcement, load balancing, security, and routing of billing records to an LTE environment—and solving these challenges prior to VoLTE deployments. Learn More — Download the White Paper Now

Wireless World

China set to surpass U.S. as largest Android, iOS marketChina will overtake the U.S. this month to become the top market for Android and iOS device sales, reaching about 246 million people, about 16 million more than in the U.S., according to Flurry, which tracks mobile applications. With a population of 1.3 billion, China's ascendency may seem inevitable, but India with 1.2 billion people ranks only 10th globally. China's growth more than tripled since January 2012, although five nations -- led by Colombia -- grew at a faster rate. TheNextWeb.com
(2/18)

Technology

Startup poses small-cell solution to ease wireless traffic jamsFastback Networks next week will demonstrate how its radio-based technology can help keep wireless networks running smoothly even through a deluge of data. The startup said it believes it can solve the problem of connecting small cells to the Internet in instances when neither fiber nor microwave-based solutions are feasible. Fastback detailed how radio-based devices rely on chips designed by a Qualcomm-owned company to hook up small cells without requiring a line-of-sight link. The Wall Street Journal/Digits blog
(2/18)

Will TransferJet's wireless transfer dwarf NFC?The TransferJet Consortium will use an overseas trade show next week to demonstrate a technology said to be more than 1,000 times zippier than near-field communication in completing wireless transfers between devices close to one another. Led by a group of consumer electronics companies that include Sony and Toshiba, TransferJet said it will show how the technology can link up commercial smartphones and tablets as well as demonstrate how wireless device can access content from kiosks using TransferJet add-ons. EE Times
(2/18)

New iPhone e-mail app draws hundreds of thousands for virtual lineMobile application developer Orchestra is keeping more than 800,000 iPhone users waiting in line to download its new Mailbox app. "The big shift is away from a mobile e-mail client that is a shrunken version of a desktop e-mail client towards a mobile e-mail client focused primarily around processing and triage," CEO Gentry Underwood said. The company has been issuing invites at a steady pace in order to keep the software stable. Reuters
(2/18)

ComScore envisions "rocky" transition for mobile sector in 2013The immersion of mobile devices into people's daily lives -- from shopping to video to social networks -- will present a "rocky economic transition" for companies that need to stay abreast of consumers' lifestyle habits this year, according to a comScore report on the state of the wireless industry. Search-related services and sites have been especially volatile, with mobile device activity finally overtaking desktop computers as "social search" has made Facebook and Google into fierce rivals. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Bits blog
(2/18)

If you're an expert on apps, content & media; analytics; cloud; cybersecurity; LBS, M2M; money & retail; next-gen networks or startups and innovation, you should speak at CTIA 2013, May 21 to 23 in Las Vegas! CTIA 2013 Call for Speakers is now open so submit your 3000 character count abstract by March 6!